Agriculture

Thoroughbreds get ‘Proud’ designation

Kentucky Thoroughbred contenders racing on Kentucky Oaks and Kentucky Derby days will bear the "Kentucky Proud" designation, Agriculture Commissioner James Comer announced this week the branding initiative, “Kentucky Proud for Kentuckybreds."

I used to have a visceral response to lush spring grass. It gave me anxiety because I knew it was time to get on the Scag and start mowing (and usually the Scag would not start coming out of winter storage!).

This year I see the grass in a different way because it is potential pasture for our growing herd of sheep. We use moveable, electrified fence and rotational grazing methods to keep the pasture and the herd healthy, so the more grass I have, the better.

It is a liberating feeling not worrying about getting the grass mowed.

Student leads both 4-H, FFA at SCHS

Lexus Perry, a Senior TAG student at Shelby County High School, is a busy student when it comes to agriculture: She leads both the 4-H Club at SCHS and the FFA.

“It’s all about understanding how people need to have a place where everyone can talk and get along,” Perry said in a release about her roles. “I work especially hard to make sure that all of our FFA members feel welcome and comfortable.”

Tom Flowers received the Master Conservationist Award last week at the annual meeting of the Shelby County Conservation District, which was held at the Shelby County Extension Office.

The award is given to property owners who have been considered to have achieved more than 90 percent of the best management practices for conserving natural resources on their farms.

Flowers’ farm, located on La Grange Road, was purchased in the 1960s by the late Lewis Flowers, Tom’s father, and is owned by Flowers and his wife, Ginger and his mother, Rebecca.